The CFM International CFM56 series is a family of high-bypass turbofan aircraft engines made by CFM International with a thrust range of 18,500 to 34,000 pound-force (lbf) (80 to 150 kilonewtons (kN)). CFMI is a 50–50 joint-owned company of SNECMA, France and GE Aviation. Both companies are responsible for producing components and each has its own final assembly line. The CFM56 first ran in 1974 and, despite initial political problems, is now one of the most prolific jet engine types in the world: more than 20,000 have been built in four major variants. It is most widely used on the Boeing 737 airliner and under military designation F108 replaced the Pratt & Whitney JT3D engines on many KC-135 Stratotankers in the 1980s, creating the KC-135R variant of this aircraft. It is also one of two engines used to power the Airbus A340, the other being the Rolls-Royce Trent. The engine is also fitted to Airbus A320 series aircraft. Several fan blade failure incidents were experienced during the CFM56's early service, including one failure that was noted as a cause of the Kegworth air disaster, and some variants of the engine experienced problems caused by flight through rain and hail. However, both these issues were resolved with engine modifications. By January 2010 the CFM56 had flown more than 470 million cumulative hours (the equivalent of more than 53,000 years).

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFM_International_CFM56

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1398:

The Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights Konrad von Jungingen signed the Treaty of Salynas, the third attempt after the 1384 Treaty of Königsberg and the 1390 Treaty of Lyck to cede Samogitia to the Knights. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Salynas

1871:

The Criminal Tribes Act entered into force in British India, giving law enforcement sweeping powers to arrest, control, and monitor the movements of the members of 160 specific ethnic or social communities that were defined as "habitually criminal". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_Tribes_Act

1915:

A German firing squad executed British nurse Edith Cavell for helping Allied soldiers to escape occupied Belgium. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Cavell

1928:

An iron lung medical ventilator, designed by Philip Drinker and colleagues at Children's Hospital, Boston, was used for the first time in the treatment of polio victims. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/iron_lung

2000:

Two suicide bombers attacked the destroyer USS Cole while it was at anchor in Aden, Yemen, killing 17 of its crew members and injuring 39 others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cole_%28DDG-67%29

2002:

A series of bombs planted by Islamist militant group Jemaah Islamiyah exploded in Bali, Indonesia, killing 202 people and injuring 209 others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Bali_bombings

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

belligerent (adj): 1. Of or pertaining to war. 2. Engaged in war, warring. 3. Aggressively hostile, eager to fight http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/belligerent

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. --Aleister Crowley http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley